Blast near Israel Embassy: Delhi Police's Special Cell questioning people

New Delhi: Dump data of mobile calls, Internet Protocol Detail Record (IPDR), CCTV footage of nearby hotels and pick and drop details of those who availed cabs are thoroughly being examined by the investigators to get a breakthrough in the ongoing probe in connection with the minor blast near the Israeli Embassy, sources said on Saturday.

Israel's ambassador to India Ron Malka, meanwhile, said there are enough reasons to believe it was a terrorist attack but they are not surprised at the event as the alert level had been increased for past few weeks following intelligence inputs.

According to sources, police questioned some persons, including a few Iranian nationals and a cab driver who dropped two persons near the blast site just before the explosion.

Police also faced some challenges as most of CCTV cameras were not functional at the time of incident, an official said.

Details of foreigners who came to Delhi recently are being examined.

Teams from the National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC) of the NSG and Delhi Police's Special Cell visited the spot for post-blast analysis on Saturday. A senior officer said NBDC's findings will be shared with the police team investigating the case.

"We have recovered some CCTV footage but have not obtained anything concrete yet as most of the CCTV cameras in the area near the embassy are non-functional," an official source said.

An envelope addressed to the Israeli Embassy and containing a note was found at the site of the blast, sources had said. A case has been registered and the Delhi Police's Special Cell is investigating the matter.

"The investigating agencies are checking IPDR of the area to check whether the suspected persons used internet to communicate instead of call.They are also checking the CCTV footage of the nearby hotels," a source said.

The source said that dump data of mobile calls, which were active hours before and after the blast, are also examined.

They are collecting data from the cab services of the persons who were dropped in the nearby area of the spot just before the incident happened.

In an interview with PTI, Ambassador Malka also said the investigations will look into all possible angles, including whether there are any links to the 2012 attack on Israeli diplomats here while events around the world are also being examined to find any related operations or activities at any destination.

"These attacks by those seeking destabilisation in the (West Asia) region cannot stop us or scare us. Our peace efforts will continue uninterrupted," he said when asked whether the attack was aimed at derailing Israel's peace efforts with various Arab countries.

There were some media reports that in a note that was found near the blast site, the explosion was described as a "trailer".

Initial investigations revealed that the IED was planted in a flower pot on the median near Jindal House on A P J Abdul Kalam road outside the Israeli embassy, sources said on Friday.

A burnt scarf has been recovered from the spot, which has seen for forensic examination, official sources said, adding that a screenshot of Telegram application is circulating where the Jaish-Ul-Hind allegedly took the responsibility of the attack, however, its authenticity could not be confirmed.

Police said that they are examining it to ascertain its authenticity.

Another source said that forensic experts have also collected some samples from the crime scene that will ascertain the chemical composition used in the low-intensity improvised explosive device (IED).

Official sources said ball bearings seized from the spot were found scattered on the ground and the impact of the explosion was felt within a radius of 20-25 metres.

The minor blast took place on Friday evening in a high-security zone of the national capital. No one was injured.

The blast took place when President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were present a few kilometres away at the Beating Retreat ceremony at the culmination of the Republic Day celebrations.

The explosion took place on a day when India and Israel marked the completion of the 29th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.